Tokyo: Oreimo

"There's nothing special about it, it's just that I made a guarantee for you."

"What? Don't leave things unsaid, speak clearly."

"I told him that you have some legitimate side hustles..."

When Takashiro Ryouno heard him say that, she panicked.

"You just told him that?"

"Otherwise, how do you explain the more than one million yen under your bed?"

"?"

Takashiro Ryou immediately rolled over onto the floor, peered under the bed, and, confirming that her secret stash was still there, breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did my father sneak into my room? Did he find out I hid money?"

Ling Nai's face was somewhat pale. Everything else was fine, but if you really pressed her for an explanation, the huge sum of money in royalties would be difficult to explain.

Ryosuke nodded and spread his hands.

My foolish sister, even if the money you hid under your bed wasn't discovered, Father would still notice the extra luxury accessories you're wearing, wouldn't he?

That's not something you can buy just by saving up some pocket money.

It would be too difficult to fool Yongfu, a detective, with just any lie.

"I vouched for you, and your side job won't affect your studies, so your father didn't press the matter further."

In fact, Takashiro Isao's request was very simple: to ensure that his daughter did not do anything illegal or disorderly and that it would not affect her studies.

"Well, Father is quite open-minded." Takashiro Ryouno completely relaxed and smiled in front of Ryosuke for the first time.

"My studies have always been like this, and even if I spend all my free time drawing comics and playing games, it doesn't affect my studies at all."

Ryoko Takashiro is a poor student; this has been a tradition since elementary school, and it won't be easy for her grades to drop any further.

She paid attention in class at school, so getting into high school wouldn't be a problem.

"At this level, I don't need your guidance; I can manage on my own."

Takashiro Ryou waved his hand, his opinion of his older brother changing somewhat.

This guy is actually a pretty good person.

Not only did it keep it a secret from my father, but it also gained his approval to some extent. That way, when I go to the studio on weekends, my father probably won't ask me any more questions, right?

Ling Nai was thinking to herself, and was about to say thank you, when she heard Ryosuke cough.

"I think you've misunderstood something."

"Ok?"

"The promise I made to my father was that you could get into Chiba First High School."

Takashiro Ryouno was stunned for a moment, then bared her teeth and claws like a suddenly angry kitten.

"What kind of promises are you making?!"

Chiba First High School is among the top five schools even within the sphere of influence of Tokyo, an international metropolis.

How could Ryosuke, a complete academic failure, dare to make such a guarantee to his father?!

This guy should return the favor he just expressed!

This is a huge pit they dug for her!

Chapter 13 Night Raid

"What does that have to do with me?"

Ryosuke Takagi chuckled softly.

"You should be thanking your lucky stars that I can help you keep the truth hidden. At least you still have time to finish 'Moon Witch Transformation,' right?"

Damn it, this guy seems pretty smug.

Gao Chengling was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth.

However, upon closer reflection, what the other party said does make sense.

She is currently in the third year of junior high school, and there are still six months before the entrance exam. Rather than being stopped by her father now, she would rather delay it for as long as possible.

Ryosuke Takagi watched as the girl in front of him went from anger to calm, her eyes still filled with hostility as she looked at him, and he found it inexplicably amusing.

"How about it, do you want to get some academic tutoring? Maybe with my help, you can really get into Chiba First High School."

Ryosuke leaned against the wall, propped his legs up, and looked at her tilting her head.

"Really?"

Takashiro Ryouna knew her own limitations very well. In terms of academics, the older brother brought by her stepmother was more than capable of crushing her.

"It's hard to say. Although my learning method is very efficient, it's also a question whether you have the talent to learn it."

Ryosuke said with a grin, and Ryo responded with a pillow flying towards him.

"Get out of here! Who are you calling stupid? It's all your fault. Otherwise, Father wouldn't have discovered my secret. Everything was fine until you all came..."

As Takashiro Ryouno spoke, she squatted down on the chair and hugged the back of her legs.

She realized she had said something wrong and fell silent.

The sudden slump caught Ryosuke off guard.

Was the teasing a bit too much?

Ryosuke Takagi noticed that there were slight tears at the corners of Ryou's eyes.

He could actually understand the source of Ling Nai's hostility. The reason why the relationship in blended families was not harmonious was that love had been divided.

Previously, Ryouno lived under the protection of Takashiro Yuu, whose love was unique. However, Ryosuke's arrival forced the head of the family to step in and maintain balance.

Being frequently used as a comparison point gave Ling Nai the illusion that her father's love had been taken away from her.

Ryosuke understood the second half of what the other person hadn't finished saying.

He was quite surprised that she managed to hold back and not reveal the whole story.

It seems that this girl is kind-hearted by nature, but she is just habitually arrogant.

Harsh words hurt people's hearts, and the fact that one can recognize this shows that one is not beyond redemption.

"So what if you've been found out? There's nothing to worry about. I can guarantee that with my guidance, you'll get into Chiba First High School, and then you can continue drawing manga."

Ryosuke Takagi sighed.

He still softened his heart; he had originally planned to give his unruly younger sister a good talking-to.

"I don't believe you."

Takashiro Ryouno turned her head away and said in a sullen tone.

"Believe it or not, you can come to my room anytime you've thought it through."

Ryosuke Takagi stood up, opened the door, and went out.

Ling Nai watched the door close, then buried herself in the quilt on the bed, pounding the pillow in frustration.

"What's with that attitude of not caring about anything? It's so annoying!"

"So what if you're good at studying? Saying you can tutor me to get into Chiba's top high school, what a load of bull..."

After making a fuss for a while, it seemed to get tired.

The girl lay sprawled on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

.....

Back in his room, Ryosuke sat down at his desk and took out the latest Kadokawa manga magazine from his backpack.

The full-color cover features a blonde, twin-tailed magical girl with a crescent moon drawn on her inverted triangle hair accessory.

Without a doubt, this character is from "Moon Witch Transformation," the work created by her younger sister, Takashiro Ryōno.

He bought this magazine at the convenience store yesterday.

"In a sense, he's a genius."

Ryosuke flipped through the magazine, quickly skimming through the current issue's serialization.

From a storytelling perspective, this comic is easy to understand and has a novel setting, but its great success in the market is actually due to its exquisite artwork.

If he hadn't seen Ling Nai at the Kadokawa Building yesterday, he would never have believed that this manga was created by a fourteen-year-old junior high school student.

In Ryosuke's view, the most important thing is to develop such talent in a timely manner, and even he himself could not help but feel a little jealous.

Having inherited the memories of his previous life, he originally thought about making his first fortune through comics, since comics were all the rage at the moment.

A simple text medium is far less impactful than a product like a comic.

Otherwise, how could the visual novel genre have emerged? It's a compromise made by novel authors to the market.

Just like in the Kadokawa Group, the manga editing department has a much higher status than the light novel editing department, and its earning power is many times stronger.

To his dismay, he realized that he truly had no talent whatsoever in drawing.

After tentatively picking up the pen, the final product was too much for him to bear looking at.

Ultimately, I decided to debut as a light novel writer.

Although Kino's Journey has been granted a publication opportunity, based on past experience, it will be difficult for this novel to become a hit in the current market.

The limitations of its subject matter destined it to be a niche work, but its success lies in its stable debut.

Ryosuke's original plan was to use the income from Kino's Journey to accumulate a considerable sum of money as an investment, and to collaborate with his online friend Phoenix Institute to try to launch a galgame that would be able to shake up the market.

But now it seems there is a more cost-effective way that can speed things up.

"If the relationship is better, we might be able to cooperate."

Ryosuke closed the journal and casually placed it on his desk.

.....

The lights were already off at Gao Cheng's house at night.